Monday, December 17, 2007

The Orange Bowl Game That Wasn't

In the chaotic hours following the final, upset-laden night of the 2007 regular season, coaches and fans from as many as seven different teams made their case to earn one of the two spots in the BCS National Championship Game.

The BCS ultimately selected consensus No. 1 and 2 teams, Ohio State and LSU, but many followers were left disappointed that none of the other highly ranked contenders (Oklahoma, Georgia, Virginia Tech or USC) were pitted against each other in bowl games.

As it turns out, an 11th-hour agreement had been reached that would have allowed the No. 3 and 4 teams in the final BCS standings -- Virginia Tech and Oklahoma -- to meet in the Orange Bowl, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the situation. The conference commissioners who oversee the BCS, however, shot it down -- and several of the affected parties are still wondering why.

[,,,]

There's a written clause, one that has yet to be invoked during the BCS' 10-year history -- that allows the commissioners to "adjust the pairings ... after the completion of the selection process." Among the circumstances that can be taken into consideration are "whether the same team will be playing in the same bowl game for two consecutive years" (Oklahoma played Boise State in last year's Fiesta Bowl) and "whether alternative pairings may have greater or lesser appeal to college football fans ..."

Mandel has always had the best eye on covering college football, that I've seen. The rest of his article is well worth the read, if only to demonstrate that OU usually gets the NCAA shaft.Because a victory over a #3 Virginia Tech would have meant so much-- for beating a higher ranked team gives greater credence in the final BCS poll-- than a win over a #9 team, West Virginia. Of course, the win has to be secured, haha.

Remember the exciting overtime Fiesta Bowl Game of last year, with Boise State winning by a point over OU?? One of the best games I've ever watched, and my team lost!

And what if the National Championship game was a nail biter? Well, even in my mind, it would never work out for Oklahoma to be number 1 in the polls or by the BCS computer.

(Honestly, really, I thought that OU was number 3 in the BCS poll, not number 4? I could've sworn that I saw that...)